Aston Martin Virage - Virage (2011-2012)

Virage (2011-2012)

In February 2011 it was revealed that a new Aston Martin Virage would be launched at the Geneva Motor Show. The Virage was intended to sit in the narrow slot between the more basic DB9 and the flagship DBS in Aston Martin's line-up and is available in a 2 seat or 2+2 seating configuration. Virage's hand-assembled 6.0 litre V12 engine delivers 490 hp (365 kW) and torque of 570 Nm. It is capable of doing 0 to 100 km/h in less than 5 seconds. The new Virage was available in two versions: Coupé or Volante (convertible).

In series 17, episode 2 of Top Gear, James May said that the Virage is the "in-the-middle" version that is sharper than the DB9 but not as aggressive as the DBS. However, he was unhappy that the Virage is just "another pointless bone-shaking racing car", and made many complaints about the ride comfort, stating that its lack of comfort was a direct result of it having been tested at the Nürburgring, because too much emphasis was put on handling, and too little effort was put on comfort. It set a lap time of 1:24.4 at the Top Gear Test Track.

It was featured in Forza Motorsport 4 via the "November Speed DLC Pack".

Aston Martin has announced that the current Virage will be discontinued after a mere 18 months of production, as the distinctions between it, the DB9, and the DBS were simply too slim. Only just over 1,000 units were built in a year and a half; while not a success by Aston Martin's standards of today it is worth noting that this is nearly the same amount as were built of the previous series over an eleven-year period.